Cities and Urban Life

For courses in Urban Sociology

A comprehensive overview of classic and contemporary urban sociology.
Cities and Urban Life provides an introduction to the study of urban environments around the world. Using an approach that is multidisciplinary but fundamentally sociological, authors John Macionis and Vincent Parrillo help students see how cities have evolved over time, how cities reflect culture, and where the urban story may take us next. The inclusion of the latest data and research references throughout the seventh edition, as well as updated case studies on a variety of cities, ensures that students come away with an up-to-date understanding of contemporary urban life.

John J. Macionis was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.

John Macionis' publications are wide-ranging, focusing on community life in the United States, interpersonal intimacy in families, effective teaching, humor, new information technology, and the importance of global education.

In addition, John Macionis and Nijole V. Benokraitis have edited the best-selling anthologySeeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Readings in Sociology. Macionis and Vincent Parrillo have written the leading urban studies text,Cities and Urban Life (Pearson). Macionis’ most recent textbook is Social Problems (Pearson).

John Macionis is Professor and Distinguished Scholar of Sociology at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he has taught for almost thirty years. During that time, he has chaired the Sociology Department, directed the college’s multidisciplinary program in humane studies, presided over the campus senate and the college’s faculty, and taught sociology to thousands of students.

In 2002, the American Sociological Association presented Macionis with the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching, citing his innovative use of global material as well as the introduction of new teaching technology in his textbooks.

Professor Macionis has been active in academic programs in other countries, having traveled to some fifty nations. He writes, “I am an ambitious traveler, eager to learn and, through the texts, to share much of what I discover with students, many of whom know little about the rest of the world. For me, traveling and writing are all dimensions of teaching. First, and foremost, I am a teacher–a passion for teaching animates everything I do.”

The Macionis family lives on a farm in rural Ohio. Macionis is an environmental activist in New York’s Lake George region, working with a number of organizations, including the Lake George Land Conservancy, where he serves as president of the board of trustees.

Vincent N. Parrillo was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. He received his B.S. degree from Seton Hall University, his M.A. from Montclair State University, and his doctorate from Rutgers University.

More recent books include: a historical novel, Guardians of the Gate (2011);Strangers to These Shores, Tenth Edition (2011); Diversity in America, Fourth Edition (2012);Understanding Race and Ethnic Relations, Fourth Edition (2012); Contemporary Social Problems, Sixth Edition (2005); andMillennium Haze (2000). He is General Editor of the two-volume interdisciplinaryEncyclopedia of Social Problems (Sage, 2008). Some of his writings have been published in eight languages.

He is the executive producer and writer of two award- winning PBS television documentaries:Smokestacks and Steeples: A Portrait of Paterson (1992) and Ellis Island: Gateway to America (1991). His latest documentary,The Sculptor Laureate of Paterson, is in production and scheduled for release in late 2012.

Vince Parrillo is a Fulbright Scholar and Senior Fulbright Specialist. A visiting professor at the University of Liege and University of Pisa, he has also given dozens of presentations in Asia, Canada, and Europe, under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of State. A keynote speaker at international conferences in Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, and South Korea, he has also conferred with national leaders in Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Sweden on issues relating to immigration. He has also conducted numerous diversity training sessions for NCOs and senior officers at various military bases at the invitation of the U.S. Department of Defense.

A past vice president of the Eastern Sociological Society (2009), he was its Robin M. Williams, Jr. Distinguished Lecturer in 2006. Recipient of an award from William Paterson University for Excellence in Scholarship (2004), Prof. Parrillo is also co-lyricist of Hamlet: The Rock Opera, which has been performed in New York City, Prague, and Seoul.